A Vision of a “New Old House”
“Jeremy calls our home a ‘Fren-glish cottage’-a mix of French and English,” designer An Anna Harris says of her friend, Jeremy Corkern, who was also the architect for the house. “I believe the exterior should be a sneak peek of what’s inside,” Anna continues. “I love European antiques and have collected many through the years, so I wanted the outside of our house to have that same sense of age. Our main goal was to create a ‘new old house.”
Anna and her husband Brooks, a Birmingham builder, hired Jeremy to help them design and complete their forever home. “The lot is narrow but deep,” Jeremy says of the land that has amazing views of the Vestavia Hills golf course with Oak Mountain and the Appalachians beyond. The home’s front façade speaks to the English-inspired cottages of 1920s Birmingham.
“From day one, I wanted an old-brick exterior with chipped paint and a cedar shake roof,” Anna says. “I also requested a chimney on the front elevation to add a little character, and I’m so happy I did.” Jeremy adds, “Like so many houses in Birmingham’s historic Redmont neighborhood that I’ve worked on, this home will never be dated. It will always feel timeless.”
Part of that character comes from the vintage downtown Birmingham brick used on the home’s exterior. “I was a little anxious about painting that brick,” says Anna. “I wanted it to be authentic-not like it was painted yesterday.” Jeremy explains that it was a process and took a couple times to get “the exact amount of wear just right.”
Bringing Authentic Old-World Materials Inside
That authentic feeling continues inside, where Anna selected elements and asked Jeremy to mold them together. “We wanted waxed millwork, a lot of beams, limestone fireplaces, arches, antique lighting, pecky cypress, and unlacquered brass all those tried-and-true materials,” says Anna. She also requested a floor plan with defined rooms. “Anna was armed with a lot of images to use as inspiration,” Jeremy says. “All of her photos had intent and we accomplished it all.” And while the floor plan is traditional, he explains that “it doesn’t feel like Grandmother’s house. It’s open enough that all the rooms relate-and you get plenty of light throughout. There’s nothing better.”
“I gravitate toward muted and restful colors- especially blues. For this house, I craved a soft palette that whispers.”
-designer Anna Harris
Designing a Home Built for Lounging and Family
Inside the front door, Anna wanted to make a statement. The entry includes a staircase to the second level as well as a paneled wall that disguises the powder room door. Just off the space, hand-painted, silk wallpaper wraps the dining room, and a beamed ceiling adds drama. A hallway with a built-in bar on one side and a hutch on the other leads to the kitchen, where Anna was “intentional about adding a lot of texture-fluting and beams,” she says. “I like when kitchens don’t look like kitchens. I added curtains and lamps and soft things to keep it from feeling too utilitarian.”
Flanking the kitchen’s workspace with rooms built for lounging also keeps it from feeling too staid. Through a barrel arch on one side, a large den offers twin sofas, a fireplace, and a wall of windows and French doors. On the other side, a keeping room reaches toward the views. “This is probably where we spend most of our time,” Anna says. “It has great natural light.”
A large porch along the back of the house offers alfresco living and dining spaces where the Harrises, their two teens, and their French bulldogs, Louis and Lola, spend time year-round, weather permitting. “We knew this would be our forever home,” Anna says, “so we really worked to make sure we didn’t miss a single detail. I think we accomplished that.”
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See more exclusive pictures of the Fren-glish cottage and discover how this powerhouse design team collaborated to build their forever home.
Resources
Interior Design: Anna Harris Interiors; Architect: Jeremy Corkern Studio; Builder: Brooks Harris; Landscape Design: Falkner Gardens; Front door, beams, and interior wood trim: Pike Road Millworks; Wood finishes: John Powers; Living room sofas: Circa Interiors & Antiques; Rugs: Hiltz-Lauber; Hardware: Brandino Brass; Marble and tile: Triton Stone Group; Tile and stone fabricator: Cutstone Company, Alabaster; Brick: Tomlin Excavating and Demolition; Bluestone pavers: Tracery Stone Company.
